Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: SAR comparison

The Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 1.16 W/kg vs 1.26 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (8% lower). Reported SAR values in W/kg; lower is shaded green and higher red within each row, for comparison only.

Open in interactive SAR Compare Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max details Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra details

Side-by-side SAR values

Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra reported SAR and specs
Measurement	Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max	Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Head SAR, cellular only (US)	1.16 W/kg	1.26 W/kg
Body SAR, cellular only (US)	1.17 W/kg	0.78 W/kg
Head SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.14 W/kg	1.59 W/kg
Body SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.53 W/kg	1.40 W/kg
Hotspot SAR, cellular only (US)	1.17 W/kg	1.19 W/kg
Hotspot SAR, Wi-Fi + cellular (US)	1.53 W/kg	1.48 W/kg
Display: Type	Super Retina XDR OLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors	Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak)
Display: Size	6.5 inches, 102.9 cm2 (~83.7% screen-to-body ratio)	6.9 inches (full rectangle); 6.8 inches accounting for rounded corners
Display: Resolution	1242 x 2688 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density)	1440 x 3120 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~505 ppi density)
Display: Protection	Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating	Corning Gorilla Armor 2
Hardware: Operating System	iOS 13	Android 15, up to 7 major Android upgrades, One UI 7
Hardware: Chipset	Apple A13 Bionic (7 nm+)	Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
Hardware: CPU	N/A	Octa-core (2x4.19 GHz & 6x2.90 GHz)
Hardware: GPU	N/A	Adreno 830 (1.25 GHz)
Battery: Charging	Fast battery charging 18W: 50% in 30 min USB Power Delivery 2.0 Qi wireless charging	45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min (advertised) 25W wireless (Qi2/PMA) 4.5W reverse wireless
Battery: Type	—	Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable
Design: Type	Bar	Bar
Design: Dimensions	158 x 77.8 x 8.1 mm (6.22 x 3.06 x 0.32 in)	162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm (6.41 x 3.06 x 0.32 in)
Design: Weight	226 g (7.97 oz)	218 g
Design: Colors	Space Gray, Silver, Gold, Midnight Green	Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Whitesilver, Titanium Gray; additional colors may vary by market

Colors make differences within the same measurement easy to see. They do not label a phone safe or unsafe. US values use 1 g of tissue and the 1.6 W/kg limit; EU values use 10 g and 2 W/kg, so don't mix them. What SAR tells you.

Questions and answers

Which has lower head SAR, the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?

The Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max lists the lower head sar, cellular only (us): 1.16 W/kg vs 1.26 W/kg for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (8% lower). Values are reported maximums from FCC filings as listed in the RF Safe dataset, in W/kg averaged over 1 gram of tissue.

Which has lower body SAR, the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra lists the lower body sar, cellular only (us): 0.78 W/kg vs 1.17 W/kg for the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max (33% lower). Values are reported maximums from FCC filings as listed in the RF Safe dataset, in W/kg averaged over 1 gram of tissue.

Which has lower hotspot SAR (Wi-Fi + cellular), the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra lists the lower hotspot sar, wi-fi + cellular (us): 1.48 W/kg vs 1.53 W/kg for the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max (3% lower). Values are reported maximums from FCC filings as listed in the RF Safe dataset, in W/kg averaged over 1 gram of tissue.

What is the highest reported SAR value for each phone?

Across the six US measurements, the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max's highest listed value is 1.53 W/kg and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's is 1.59 W/kg. The FCC limit for the head and body is 1.6 W/kg averaged over 1 gram. Wi-Fi + cellular values are simultaneous-transmission sums and are evaluated differently, so read each row on its own.

Does a lower SAR mean a phone is safer?

No. SAR is a lab compliance measurement taken at maximum power. Everyday exposure depends on signal strength, distance from the body and which radios are active. Use SAR to compare phones, not as a health score.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the RF Safe SAR dataset, compiled from FCC equipment authorization filings (FCC ID BCG-E3306A and A3LSMS938B). Nothing on this page is estimated.

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